Through the Forest We Tread
by SofiaBarbara
Summary: Vixen is a young thief and sell-sword, it's the way she's lived all her life. Now a mysterious client is hiring her services for amounts of gold no thief would ever ignore. But what's his purpose? She'll soon find out as her own destiny in the Skyrim realm unravels itself. Brynjolf / OC *Bethesda Owns all but my minor changes in plot & my OC's*


**Hey Readers, I'm trying this out as it's been locked away in the vault for some time. This is a preview for my next story once i finish my Transformers Arc; to which i will be posting a new chapter tonight. Review and tell me what you all think! It feels so great to be back, thank you all for being so patient with me and my cray life!**

**-Sofia**

Wind brushed her rosy cheeks as she leapt from rock to rock over the gurgling stream. The young woman's fiery hair shone bright against the rays of the sun and her crisp eyes, the color of the clearest waters, gleamed in the morning light. Her fair complexion dampened with sweat from the exhausting hours of climbing and swift walking through treacherous terrain. Pointed ears poked out from the waves of ribbon flame cascading to the young elf's mid-back. She landed hard against the mud of the river bank almost losing her balance, _almost._ Quickly scanning her surroundings she dashed off deeper in the wood, easily maneuvering around trunks and roots. Her bow bumped lightly against her back, the glass twinkled green as little spots of light hit through the leaves; the arrows mimicking the bow. The young elf knew nothing of who requested her service, only where to meet and when.

She felt nothing as she arrived at their meeting spot, a small cabin tucked away from almost all civilization. She had nothing to fear for she had been doing this almost all her life, why would this time be any different? The fiery haired woman elegantly sauntered up to the cabin's door and with nimble fingers lightly rapped against the wood. Not a moment later the heavy door swung open and a man shrouded in black robes appeared, he took a moment to look her over before ushering her into the black space. She complied and he quickly shut the door behind her, enveloping them both in darkness. Senses on high alert, the elf sensed the stranger shuffling about. Then a candle was lit and light burst through the dark, yet she still could not see his face.

"So, you must be her then?" His rough voice met her ears. "You are the one they call ShadowFire?" Pointed yellow eyes scanned her once more.

"You are correct. But I was not summoned to idly chat with an old man dressed as a monk. Pray tell, do you know what I do?" She haughtily replied.

"Indeed I do young one," a smirk slithered its way upon his lips. "I know exactly what you are capable of. Now, let us begin our business shall we?"

Motioning for her to follow, he led her to a small wooden desk pilled with assorted papers. A small red candle burned in the corner, the flame burning bright and dangerously close to the parchments. Her eyes instinctively searched the parchments, bits and pieces of words or phrases clung to her mind. The man sat in the chair and without hesitation pulled, what seemed like, a random paper from a pile. The parchment was folded in half with red wax sealing the ends together. Handing her the sealed parchment he waited. She carefully separated the wax from paper and opened the parchment to read:

_City of Riften _

_Maven Black-Briar_

_Bee and Barb_

"Wait, you are sending me to Riften to do what with this Maven?"

She looked up and he was nowhere to be seen; she scanned the entire room yet her eyes found no form. _How could he have disappeared so fast?_ She thought suspiciously, _He hadn't told her if he wanted this woman _taken care of_ or if he simply wanted information._

"I'll play it safe, for now." She muttered to herself before shoving the parchment into her pocket.

She strode out onto the deck of the cabin and took a deep breath, the mixture of pine and river water filled her senses. Whiterun would be another day's trip from here, but it's the closest town to her location. Pulling the hood up from her mossy green cape she started out to Whiterun.

As night began to fall she found herself at the stables in Whiterun; _should she stay the night or hop on the carriage now? _She sighed, if she stayed it would put her back at least a day but if she didn't then she would not get a wink of sleep tonight. Giving up she stomped into Whiterun and headed straight to the Bannered Mare. Once inside she paid the innkeeper at the bar for her room, as she prepared the room the young redheaded elf prodded the inn with her eyes. A small, dainty looking woman sat in the corner, her long dirty blonde hair hung around her dirtied face, the bright blue of her eyes shone like sapphires against the flames light. Then she noticed two pointed ears adorned on her head. _She looks like a Breton to me... not a wood elf… _She hummed curiously, before she could do more the innkeeper returned and showed her to her room. As she peeled off the armor and lay to bed, she could think of nothing but sleep. It followed her a few moments after her tired countenance hit the pillow.

Stepping off the carriage the young elf checked out her surroundings, nothing seemed out of sorts. She glided up to the gate and warily eyed the two tall and seemingly strong guardsmen. As she came up to them, one of the two held out a hand to block her path. She lazily looked to him, _what is this idiot planning on doing to me?_

"Halt, before stepping foot into Riften you must pay the visitors tax." He demanded.

Raising a brow she snickered and clapped him on the shoulder. "Do you take me for an idiot? I know there is not visitor's tax," She pulled him close to her and narrowed her eyes, "Now let me in or you'll have hell to pay."

With a grunt the guardsman pulled away and unlocked the gate, "Clever as a fox you are." He muttered as she sauntered in the city.

The stench was horrifying; the elf was convinced citizens of Riften were without a sense of smell. It was a mixture of sewage, rotten cheese, and decay mixed into one. Her sensitive nose whined with every breath she took. Looking about she found the inn, a small sign hung above its door with bold letters: **The Bee and Barb.** With a small smile she walked in and went straight to the argonian woman at the desk.

"I am in need of a room." The fiery haired elf smiled and dropped a small pouch of gold onto the counter.

The argonian's eye glinted as she sifted through the gold, satisfied she took her up to her room and left. _Room check._ The elf laid her things about and changed from her armor to a simple blue dress with leather wraps. Grabbing her money and a small orcish dagger she locked the door and set out onto the town. She had to find out more about this Maven character. The red head pawed through the marketplace the city set up, listening in to conversations and trying to hear anything about the mysterious Maven Black-briar. However as the sun began to set she received no such luck and started to head back to the inn when she was stopped.

A young Nordic man, with dark oiled hair and heavy brown eyes stood before her. He was well armored with steel and a large steel sword at his side.

"Who are you stranger?" He growled.

The elf glared back, "What's it to you Nord?"

"It's my business to know what goes on here. I better not catch you causing any trouble otherwise you'll have to answer to not only the thieves guild but Maven as well."

_Maven._

"Who is this Maven everyone keeps talking about?" The elf lied; she needed to squeeze him for information.

"Maven Black-Briar runs this city." He replied.

"So she's the jarl's wife?" She replied.

"No, she might as well be Jarl herself. Maven is the owner of Black-Briar meadery and she has the jarls ear as well as the Thieves Guild in her back pocket. Not to mention she has ties to the Dark Brotherhood."

"She has all kinds of connections." The elf pointed out, the nord scoffed.

"All you need to know is if Maven tells you to do something you'd better damn well do it, and do it exactly how she wants it." He glared and stalked off.

_The citizens of this city aren't very friendly._ She rolled her eyes and walked back to the Bee and Barb. Grabbing a drink from the Innkeeper, she jogged up to her room and wrote the information she discovered in a leather-bound journal. The elf flipped through the pages and took note of how many different figure heads she had information on, all the ink and scratches from years of adding and changing the information. After she finished her drink she laid to bed and waited until sleep grasped her tight.


End file.
